Shloka 15
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
आह मां भगवानेवं शिखण्डी शिवविग्रह: । तदवाप्तं च मे सर्व प्रसादात् तस्य धीमतः
āha māṁ bhagavān evaṁ śikhaṇḍī śivavigrahaḥ | tad avāptaṁ ca me sarvaṁ prasādāt tasya dhīmataḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „So redete zu mir der erhabene Herr — Śiva, der Heilvolle, mit verfilzten Locken und gütiger Gestalt. Und alles, was er verkündete, wurde mir durch die gnädige Gunst jenes weisen Großen Gottes in Fülle zuteil.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that divine instruction and spiritual attainments are ultimately fulfilled through the deity’s prasāda (grace). Human effort is present, but fruition is attributed to the compassionate favor of the wise Lord.
Vaiśaṃpāyana reports that Śiva, appearing in an auspicious, matted-haired form, addressed him; and that all the outcomes of that encounter—what was spoken or promised—were realized for him by Śiva’s gracious blessing.